San Diego Bartending School

Powered through the weekend classes recently and had a great time. It’s a boot camp, but you learn a lot incredibly quickly. From the drinks themselves to legalities, business, industry, everything. Frank is quick-​witted, friendly, and above all seems to care deeply that his students learn and retain the information and skills they paid for. He’s a Springsteen fan as well, which is a plus.
Key Points:
— You will learn roughly 100 drinks in an incredibly short period of time if you just pay attention and apply yourself
— You are given flash cards and a textbook that could thoroughly school anyone, from glassware to garnishes
— Portions of the class are devoted not only to helping you develop the skills necessary to the job, but also devoted to actively, tangibly hunting for your job.
— Upon graduating, you’re welcome back to class to sit in on lessons or just practice, which is incredibly neighborly.

Classes were well organized and interesting, Frank was really friendly and was very helpful and knowledgable. I took the class with a friend and we both walked it feeling like we had a good enough handle on the basics to find a job. The building had plenty of room for practice and the fake bar was useful for making drinks and learning by repetition. Additionally, the course came with an instructional book that is useful for review. I’d recommend the class to anyone looking to get into the bartending business.
Minor gripe, signing up for classes is over phone and it can be a bit frustrating to be playing phone tag with instructors. Other than that, great place.

Awesome experience.
I have been talking about doing a bartending school for years but for some reason never bit the bullet until moving to San Diego. I was a bit hesitant because you read a lot of reviews, mostly of other corporate type schools that are scattered around the US, but after researching different schools I decided on San Diego Bartending School. Glad I did.
I attended the accelerated day course this last week that was taught by Al and Frank, the owners. Two awesome guys. I’ve been to a lot of bars and know a lot of bartenders, bar managers, etc and I have never met anyone as educated and knowledgeable about the business than Al and Frank. What was cool about them is not only are they intelligent from being in the business so long, they have personalities conducive to teaching and making it fun. They understand you don’t learn this craft through osmosis so they are great at breaking it down and helping you to grasp it.
You start out on Day 1 with some basics and jump right into learning and writing down drinks, clues, theories, etc. After a couple hours you consider needing a drink because the task of learning all this so quick is a bit soul-​deadening but trust me, it all comes together. The rest of the week you learn more drinks, practice after each lesson, and learn some tricks of the trade. We had a good group of students from a couple different walks of life and the one cool thing about this school is it’s a trade a lot of people want to learn and it seems to excite the curiosity. Whether you want to be a bartender or not, it’s a really fun class to get a different perspective on the industry.
What I liked about the school and Al and Franks methods were they really stressed customer service and professionalism. You can tell they take a lot of pride in what they are doing because not only do they want you to learn the craft they also want to uphold their reputation as a business. They stress customer service and personality. After a day of class you can go to a bar and pick out the bartenders that should have taken this class. They teach simple fundamentals that a lot of people forget, such as SMILING and saying THANK YOU. It seems like a mindless idea but it’s shocking how many places you go into these days and bartenders have the personalities of stumps.
After a week of studying, practicing and learning I feel a lot more confident in my skills to go out and try find a gig in this field. It’s amazing that they taught this class in that amount of time but did it in a way that we all could grasp. They should be college professors!
Anyways, awesome school, awesome experience, and awesome instructors. If you are wanting to learn this trade, Al and Frank would be two to learn it from.

I just graduated today! And I only have good things to say about this class… Al and Frank are the best instructors ever!.. They have a lot of knowledge and experience. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone, experienced bartenders or not, you will learn a lot.

WORTH EVERY SINGLE CENTS YOU SPENT!
1. Al is the best instructor
2. Fernando (Co-​instructor) has a sense or humor. meaning. the whole class is not boring.
3. MY CLASSMATES ARE SUPER DOPE!
4. If you don’t like the class for some of your personal reasons and you actually dropped it, You’re a loser! PERIOD.
People will not satisfy on everything… If you don’t like this place because of your personal preferences, then it’s your god dam own business! BUT I love this place, I like the class, my instructor is awesome, my classmates are not bi*thing on me. We had fun, we laughed, we learned and MOST IMPORTANT! We’re gonna get a bartender job! BOOOHUHU… Guess who’s crying? You! Why? Because you dropped the class! DUHHHH…
ABG! Peace!

I love the class. I joined day bar class and recently graduated. I have to admit that Al and Fernando are very very nice and awesome teacher. I would sure guarantee that everyone will be able to get a job right after graduating if you actually follow their instructions. I was blessed to have a very good vibe classmates. We are 4 Fantastics we laughed and had a good times helping and coaching each other. Class is not very packed if you choose the day bar class 10 am — 5 pm. Monday through Friday. But if you choose evening class or weekend class you might find space is pretty crowded but other than than everything is great.

This class was so helpful and efficient. Frank was a terrific instructor, super knowledgeable with great techniques. Took the weekend course which was exactly the rate I wanted to finish. Got done in 4 days, 2 full weekends and I feel ready to go! They prepare you really well for a job

I just graduated from the San Diego Bartending School, and I have nothing but good things to say. I attended the school two years ago, when it was under different ownership, but ended up getting a job in the biotech industry (what I went to college for). I wanted to work as a bartender part-​time, so I decided to take the course again to refresh myself and WOW, what a difference a new owner has made! The owner, Al, and instructor, Fernando, were both great teachers, and I learned so much more this time around while having a really fun time. One of my classmates was hired a day before she graduated, just because she let the bar manager know she was already attending this course! I learned much more than the 100+ drinks in just five days; I learned about the many roles a bartender has to play, and that a truly great bartender is much more than the drinks he can make. I gained knowledge in liquors and liqueurs, learned a bit of history behind alcohol in the United States, and can competently speak about the many different realms behind the bar. I highly recommend this course to new and experienced bartenders, alike. You will not be disappointed and will certainly learn many, many new things. Thank you to the San Diego Bartending Academy!

Money well spent & already put back in my pocket! Fernando gave me all the tools I needed to establish myself as a successful bartender. Took less than 2 weeks from starting the program to get hired. Even without a job, its eye opening and can teach you a thing or two to impress your friends. Thanks!

I totally agree with other reviews that Al is indeed a well-​qualified instructor with a great personality. Unfortunately, I had to drop the class in February and have yet to receive a refund almost two months later. I even asked him up front what the refund policy was before paying so I could be informed in case it did not work out. I was told $ 100 would be withheld for registration and the remaining days pro-​rated. My phone call withdrawing from class the evening of the second day and a follow-​up letter sent a month later along with a self-​addressed, self-​stamped envelope, included for convenience, has not been acknowledged. I did not want to make this public but I thought it could help in getting a response.
UPDATE MAY 25, 2015: Still have not heard a peep! Based on my experience, if you drop the class good luck on getting a refund. I am SO sorry that I ever signed up in the first place!
UPDATE ON AUGUST 31, 2015: Caveat emptor.

AL’s a great instructor. He has a great program which makes it easy to learn 80 drinks in 1 week not overwhelming at all hahaha.

Really great school. Al is a terrific teacher!